13 Children’s Books to Talk about Palestine

This is not just another book list.

Like you – the people who are raising their voices, condemning through protest, shouting, screaming and/or conveying through art forms – I grieve the utter inhumanity we are witnessing in Gaza. When relentless bombardment on innocent civilians was unleashed after the horrific events of October 7th, the world awakened to the horror of genocide – an apparent retaliation that cannot ethically be described as ‘self-defence’ or one that was sparked by a single moment but arising from a long history of settler occupation and brutal oppression of the people of Palestine.

Grassroots journalists have once again become the storytellers of truth, capturing atrocities and the unimaginable horrors kept distant from mainstream media. I have hesitated from sharing a list of books because the gruesome reality is so immediate and the need to do something more, so urgent. But if our work as authors, illustrators and publishers of books for children, is to reach and engage children in thinking critically and detecting injustice and inequities, then children have to hear from the very storytellers who have lived those experiences. And what more accessible tool than picture books?

I share this collection of books so children today might think differently about war tomorrow, for children who might now question media sources and headlines and for those children who wonder if the narratives they see and hear are based on fact, rather than opinion. Our role as authors, educators, librarians and creators is and always has been political.

When we talk to young persons about boycotts, it hits hard because now actions impact things we love to enjoy. Now we have to make informed choices, hard choices. They will surely question, why?

At the root of all of this, our work is about sharing stories that matter, it is about disrupting bias and creating space for growth, so that the soaring hopes and dreams of once carefree children in a land we may not have heard of, can never be forgotten, nor their existence dehumanized ever again.

Please see below for additional links.

How can you begin a conversation with these books?

Think about how many of these titles are published independently in order for these narratives to exist.

Pause and consider why independently published books and their creators face barriers to publication.

Allow these wonderings to guide deeper and meaningful realizations naturally.

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1. HOMELAND: My Father Dreams of Palestine
   by Hannah Moushabeck and illustrated by Reem Madooh
   

   Homeland My Father Dreams of Palestine ©Chronicle Books (No copyright infringement is intended).

2. WE ARE PALESTINIAN: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition
   by Reem Kassis and illustrated by Noha Eilouti
   

   We are Palestinian by Reem Kassis, illustrated by Noha Eilouti ©Crocodile Books, 2023. (No copyright infringement is intended).

3. THESE OLIVE TREES: A Palestinian Family’s Story
   by Aya Ghanameh
   Buy prints from this author/illustrator here.
   

   These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh ©Viking Books, 2023. (No copyright infringement is intended).

4. SITTI’s BIRDS: A Gaza Story
   written and illustrated by Malak Mattar
   

   Sitti’s Birds: A Gaza Story by Malak Mattar ©Crocodile Books, 2022. (No copyright infringement is intended).

5. BABA, WHAT DOES MY NAME MEAN? A Journey to Palestine
   by Rifk Ebeid and illustrated by Lamaa
   

   Baba, What Does My Name Mean? by Rifk Ebeid, illustrated by Lamaa Jawhari ©Rifk Books, 2020. (No copyright infringement is intended).

6. FARAH ROCKS FIFTH GRADE
   by Susan Muaddi Durraj and illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa
   

   Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi Darraj, illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa ©Capstone, 2020. (No copyright infringement is intended).

7. IDA IN THE MIDDLE
   by Nora Lester Murad”Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, Ida knows what’s coming next. Some of her classmates always treat her like it’s all her fault—just for being Palestinian! In eighth grade, Ida is forced to move to a different school. But people still treat her like she’ll never fit in. Ida wishes she could disappear.” (Excerpt from the book’s page)
   

   Ida in the Middle by Nora Lester Murad ©Interlink Publishing Crocodile Books, 2022. (No copyright infringement is intended).

8. SITTI’s KEY
   by Sahar Khader Ali and illustrated by Noor Alshalabi
   Please visit the author’s site for images and more.
9. MY GARDEN OVER GAZA
   by Sarah Musa and illustrated by Saffia Bazlamit
   Learn more about the title at Ruqaya’s Bookshelf
   

   My Garden Over Gaza by Sarah Musa, illustrated by Saffia Bazlamit ©Ruqaya’s Bookshelf. (No copyright infringement is intended).

10. ELEVEN WORDS FOR LOVE
    by Randa Abdel-Fattah and illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke
    

    Eleven Words for Love by Randa Abdel-Fattah and illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke ©Candlewick Press 2023. (No copyright infringement is intended).

11. MAMA IN CONGRESS: RASHIDA TLAIB’s JOURNEY to WASHINGTON
    by Rashida Tlaib and illustrated by Miranda Paul
    See images and more at the publisher’s site.
12. P is for PALESTINE
    by Golbarg Bashi and illustrated by Golrokh Nafisi
    

    P is for PALESTINE
    by Golbarg Bashi and illustrated by Golrokh Nafisi ©Dr Bashi. (No copyright infringement is intended).

13. YOUNG PALESTINIANS SPEAK: LIVING UNDER OCCUPATION
    by Annemarie Young and illustrated by Anthony Robinson
    

    YOUNG PALESTINIANS SPEAK: LIVING UNDER OCCUPATION
    by Annemarie Young and illustrated by Anthony Robinson ©Interlink Books, 2016. (No copyright infringement is intended).

    To find more books and to teach in/learn further:

    Lessons for educators: Teaching While Muslim
    More lessons: The Rebellious History Teacher
    Desi Book Aunty Newsletter
    Bookshop Books for Palestine

    Authors and Illustrators linked above when possible.